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Where can Indo-Pak relations head under NaMo-Nawaz

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India-Pak relations have been on a blow hot and blow cold phases since their independence after being portioned on religious lines. While Pakistan became an Islamic Republic, India chose to remain grounded on its age old secular Hindu tradition of ‘Sarva Pantha Samabhav’ – equal just treatments to all faiths with appeasement to none. Created on the ‘anti-India’ or more rightly ‘anti-Hindu’ plank, Pakistan could not foster ‘normal’ bilateral relations with neighbouring India and resorted to four major and one minor war with India over the protracted issue of ‘Kashmir’, whose accession to India in 1947 has been disputed by Pakistan.

After its dismemberment in 1971 war, Pakistan vowed to ‘bleed India’ through ‘thousand cuts’ policy and resorted to waging cross-border ‘proxy-war’ against India which has been its ‘un-official’ State policy till now. Though the ‘peace’ was chosen to be established over war by the famous Shimla Accord of 1972, an incorrigible Islamic State of Pakistan has been trying relentlessly to ‘internationalize’ the ‘Kashmir dispute’ issue but checkmated by an able Indian diplomacy over the years. But quest for peace between the two countries has been remained elusive till date.

Now that Pakistan sponsored cross-border terrorism has been efficiently dealt with a pro-active border management and the people of the so-called disputed Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir have put their trust on the state’s development under Indian democracy relegating Pak’s obsessive ‘K’ factor into oblivion. Thus, the ‘Failed State’ of Pakistan has been left with no option but to wake up to the reality of a democratic secular India’s globally respected status as a major economic cum military power, while an Islamic Pakistan remained embroiled internally in blood soaked communal sectarian fault-lines badly affecting its own progress, legging far behind India.

Notwithstanding Pakistan’s utter lack of reciprocity in overall bilateral diplomacy since 1947, India has always extended its hand of friendship to Pakistan by signing many accords viz Shimla Accord of 1972, Lahore Declaration of 1999, Agra Declaration of 2001, Ceasefire Agreement of 2003 etc. But Pakistan’s continued ‘anti-India’ ‘proxy-war’ activities by sponsoring deadly terrorist strikes viz Kargil intrusion of 1999, 2001 Parliament attack, 2003 Akshardham Temple attack, 26/11 Mumbai attack et al as well as uncountable events of bomb blasts etc have ensured an overwhelming angry public mood in India against making any compromise with Pakistan over the ‘core-issue’ of its dubious record in reigning continuous terror attacks against India, while only making pretence for seeking ‘peaceful resolution’ of all the protracted bilateral issues with India. Above all, with the ‘real ruling authority’ of Pakistan i.e. omnipotent Pakistan Army remained steadfastly rooted in its eternal anti-India credo, how any ‘titular’ civilian PM of Pakistan, notwithstanding its popularity, can ‘dare’ to make ‘peace’ with India?

If this has been the historical legacy and cumulative experiences of successive Indian PMs in dealing with Pakistan, then how can the meeting between the new Indian PM Narendra Damodardas Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif, can be different or an exception or even an aberration? If not, then why the 24×7 ‘peacenik media’ in India and across the globe has been resorting to such ‘irrational exuberance’ over ‘NaMo-Nawaz Meet’ – an utter nonsensical TRP driven marketing HYPE, while completely ignoring THE REALITY.

Is public memory or memory of the ‘peacenik media’ so short lived? Just two days before Modi was to be sworn in as 15th PM of India, Indian Consulate in Afghanistan’s Herat province was attacked by Pak trained Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists on May 24 to made Indian officials posted there as hostages to sabotage the grand function causing embarrassment to the new Indian Modi Government. Luckily, the deadly Pak sponsored attack was successfully repulsed killing all the Islamic terrorists. What more, as the oath-taking ceremony on May 26 was taking place; Pakistani Army resorted to heavy firing across LoC violating the 2003 ceasefire agreement once again as has been done by it on an almost daily basis since then. What to expect from a meet for attending which the Pak PM needed some days to respond as he has to first seek prior approval from the Chief of Pakistan’s Army who always call the final shots as the ‘real de-facto executive’ of the Establishment in all matters, most especially on the issues pertaining to India.

Nevertheless, Indian PM Modi conveyed strong signals to Pak’s PM Sharif on the imperative of Pakistan shedding its dualistic nature vis-a-vis dealing with India viz. talking peace while sponsoring terror against India – Pakistan must WALK the TALK. Modi told Sharif that ‘self-contradictions’ in its ‘dualistic India policy’ can no longer continue as usual under the new Indian Establishment and neither the collective Indian public opinion will allow that to have free run, particularly not under PM Modi Government. After all, the majority of the Indian citizenry did not give their unprecedented and overwhelming electoral support to elect a ‘strong’ PM who will continue with the old lackadaisical ‘good for nothing’ policies over sumptuous lunches and dinners in dealing with an ‘unfriendly’, ‘ungrateful’ Pakistan and that bilateral relations must reflect pure professionalism of reciprocity at mutual levels of diplomatic conducts equally binding for both the nations.

Till date, Indo-Pak bilateral relations have been made hostage pandering to electoral aggrandizement of ‘satisfying’ Muslim vote-bank in India and successive ruling dispensations in New Delhi have been on a virtual rat race competition to show who is ‘more friendly’ dealing with a unfriendly belligerent Islamic Pakistan. Under PM Modi who got a thumping majority on its own busting the perennial politics of vote banks, it is being hoped that this dangerous anti-India malice will be put to an end forever.

India’s bilateral relations with Pak or any other nation of the world should alone be guided by bold as well as wisely pursuance of India’s own national interests and not by any other individualistic or party-centric motives or vested interests – India’s national interests alone must always be supremely pivotal and above everything else.

Salient Points in Existing Indo-Pak Relations: Roadmap of Tasks Ahead

According to a 2013 BBC Poll, 45% Indians view Pakistan ‘negatively’ as compared to 54% Pakistanis who view India ‘negatively’. It means there exists mutually compatible ‘negative views’ or public opinion against both India and Pakistan. This is a real challenge for both PM Modi and PM Sharif on envisaging policies to transform it into a mutually compatible benign or ‘positive views’. Can they both be able to do it?

Bilateral trade between India-Pakistan is at a very low position hovering between $2-$3 billion currently. Hence, another task ahead for both Modi and Sharif is to mooting ways to increase it.

While India commits to be more friendly dealing with Pakistan, provided it stops its ‘proxy-war’ of cross-border terrorism against India emanating from its soil – mutually dangerous to the very existence of both the nation. Instead, peace, progress and development should be pursued.

As we can see or being wiser from India’s own cumulative experiences dealing with a more Pakistan friendly Communist China, that ‘over-hyped’ economic interdependence or ‘Track-2 diplomacy’(i.e. people to people contacts, cultural exchanges etc) alone is no guarantee for building a strong and enduring peaceful relationship. In spite of ‘hot pursuit’ of Indo-China trade plus Track-2 diplomacy, China’s ‘pin-pricking’ border incursions continues even occupying Indian territories for over months as well as claiming India’s Arunachal Pradesh which it calls it as its own ‘Southern Tibet’. So, on going over-emphasis on enhancing bilateral trade or Track-2 diplomacy will surely not ensure or guarantee an enduring peace with Pakistan. To put it even more simply, what can not be achieved in decades of Track-1(i.e. Govt to Govt) diplomacy, can never be achieved in years of Track-2 diplomacy. Until and unless Pakistan acts on the real ‘core-issues’ viz. stops exporting terror targeting India, ensure conviction of 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed of LeT and hand over Dawood Ibrahim to India, peace between the two neighbours will remain elusive. This time, Pakistan must ‘walk the talk’ with India.

An irrational exuberant euphoria of a media-hyped ‘Aaman Ki Aasha’ (Hope for Peace) of ‘New Beginning of a New Indo-Pak Era’ etc etc post ‘NaMo-Nawaz’ meet will, thus, be short-lived, lest we also care to take a rational reality facts-check. Because peace SHOULD not be just TALKED alone but MUST be WALKED too! This eternal truth can only be overlooked at India’s own peril and we can’t let that happen, can we?